My surge of garage organization projects continues – with pleasure! I’ve enjoyed helping families get organized before winter temps are permanent for the season and the crazy holiday schedules / gifts of more stuff is upon us. Yes, believe it or not, we do have a winter here in Nor Cal. It may not include snow or ice here in the Bay Area (but we are praying for rain – keep us in your thoughts), but we dip pretty low on the thermometer. The last couple mornings haven’t been much above 40 degrees. The families I work for typically use their garage as additional play space during the winter. It gets kids “outside” playing while mom preps a snack or makes a call. Most families keep ride-on toys out here or other games that can be played while bundled up. I love making a garage functional for more than just parking a car or storing garage type items. A garage can be set up to function as amazing secondary play areas!

Last week, I helped one very sweet mommy transform a wall in her garage from this…

To this…

No matter how many garage mudrooms I create, each is unique and special for the family making use of it. This family of 5 needed extra space for the usual active lifestyle typical of most families – think sports gear, shoes, reusable bags and backpacks. But what made this DIY mudroom unique is that I was working around a deep freezer with a top opening…

Mom recently made the decision to trim the grocery bill and buy in bulk. She’s making regular Costco trips for paper goods, snacks and meats that can be frozen. So when creating this system, I also had to consider bulk storage and building the system around a freezer. The elfa system from The Container Store is always a winner – especially when they had a quick pop-up 25% off sale! The same time I designed this laundry mudroom for 25% off…

Behind the scenes I was also designing this one!…

Look at all that vertical wall space! *heart eyes*

The 2 small wall baskets weren’t cutting it anymore. They gave it their best shot for a long time though and proud of them for making it work as long as they did…

Once the system was up, I was able to move even more of their garage items to this wall…which in turn frees up space in other areas of the garage. Items like helmets…

Rainboots…

Repositionable hooks for their bags, backpacks and umbrellas…

Bins up top that now contain napkins, paper towels and kleenex. Mom has a good supply within reach so these just needed somewhere to live until useful…

These rugby striped bins make me so happy! These are the small size and only $11.99 each…

(source)

Every mudroom I create has one of these comfy benches, where the kids can sit to remove or put on shoes. It also gives mom 6 additional cubbies for storing whatever her heart desires!…

In California we take emergency preparedness seriously. That’s why you see the water stowed away here. In a pinch, water is where it’s needed…

And the rest of her bulk / emergency food? It’s located on a tall, narrow shelf on the adjacent wall…

Both of these locations being closest to the door to the garage for quick, easy access…

When it comes to kids closets, I lean into systems that can grow with the child. The same is true for this garage system. If a day comes when mom or the kids need it to function differently, you can easily make the changes – add / remove shelves, add / remove components and accessories…make it bigger / smaller. The elfa system is a game changer, friends!

Nothing makes my heart beat faster than a good before and after though ;-)…

Look at all that bright, beautiful storage! For those wondering, this entire system (including bins, accessories and the bench) totaled $500. Waiting for that 25% off really does pay off. While some of you may think that’s a steep price tag, trust me – I work with clients day in and day out and this system works. It’s long-lasting and will pay you back in precious time!

Have a great day!